New Feature: The Bankruptcy Word looks at the etymology of bankruptcy terms. Matthew Knox is a first year associate in the bankruptcy section of Adair & Myers, PLLC, in Houston, Texas and enjoys learning about the exciting and storied world of bankruptcy. He can be reached at mak@am-law.com.
“Bankruptcy”
Where does the word itself come from? The textbook we used in my bankruptcy class in law school glossed over its origins in a way that hinted at mystery and controversy:
“[W]hether or not ‘bankruptcy’ derives from the Italian banca rotta or ‘broken [merchant's] table’… the clearest origins of United States bankruptcy law are to be found in England.” (The Law of Debtors and Creditors, p. 107, 5th Ed. 2006, by current chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel and two-time Daily Show guest Elizabeth Warren, and Jay Lawrence Westbrook.)
Broken merchant’s table? Wait, what?
The story is that:
“In medieval Europe, a merchant who was unable to pay his bills was dealt with harshly: his creditors would (more…)
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Bankruptcy Billablesis an overview of bankruptcy-relevant coverage and discussion from various law-related blogs.
Holding a J.D. and an International Affairs M.A. from Marquette University, Matt Leichter(matt [dot] leichter [at] gmail [dot] com) is an attorney licensed in Wisconsin and New York. He speaks Japanese and focuses on comparative and international law, as well as international business.
To see more of Gideon’s work, go to www.gideonkendall.com. He’s also available for weddings, opulent bar mitzvahs and other religious ceremonies that could benefit from a cartoon or two.
BLT (Bankruptcy Lawyer Topics) is a periodic review and comparison of consumer bankruptcy topics being covered on bankruptcy lawyer blogs.
Holding a J.D. and an International Affairs M.A. from Marquette University, Matt Leichter(matt [dot] leichter [at] gmail [dot] com) is a Brooklyn-based attorney licensed in Wisconsin and New York. He speaks Japanese and focuses on comparative and international law, as well as international business.
Click on BK Lawyer Blogs for a state-by-state list of bankruptcy lawyers with their own blogs.
Have a blog or know a good blog post you think should be included? Or a suggestion for a future BLT theme? Send an e-mail to BLT [at] bankruptcybill [dot] us with the link.
Suggestion to bankruptcy lawyers with blogs: Make sure to include a “Search” function somewhere on your blog. It makes it easier to find topical posts on your blog and increases the likelihood that a post from your blog will be included in BLT.
Bankruptcy Billablesis an overview of bankruptcy-relevant coverage and discussion from various law-related blogs.
Holding a J.D. and an International Affairs M.A. from Marquette University, Matt Leichter(matt [dot] leichter [at] gmail [dot] com) is an attorney licensed in Wisconsin and New York (two months as of tomorrow!). He speaks Japanese and focuses on comparative and international law, as well as international business.
Also thanks to our sponsors for their support of the first-ever (to our knowledge)Bankruptcy Song Contestand for collectively making a donationto theNational Consumer Law Centerin the amount of $25for each song submitted (for which we received a nice thank you note from the NCLC’s Executive Director):
BLT (Bankruptcy Lawyer Topics) is a periodic review and comparison of consumer bankruptcy topics being covered on bankruptcy lawyer blogs.
Holding a J.D. and an International Affairs M.A. from Marquette University, Matt Leichter(matt [dot] leichter [at] gmail [dot] com) is an attorney licensed in Wisconsin and New York. He speaks Japanese and focuses on comparative and international law, as well as international business.
Click on BK Lawyer Blogs for a state-by-state list of bankruptcy lawyers with their own blogs.
Have a blog or know a good blog post you think should be included? Or a suggestion for a future BLT theme? Send an e-mail to BLT [at] bankruptcybill [dot] us with the link.
Suggestion to bankruptcy lawyers with blogs: Make sure to include a “Search” function somewhere on your blog. It makes it easier to find topical posts on your blog and increases the likelihood that a post from your blog will be included in BLT.
Note: This site is best viewed using a Mozilla Firefox, Chrome or Safari browser. If you are viewing this site using Internet Explorer, you may not be able to view items in the sidebar (plus your download speed is likely slower). Clicking on any page or post will cause sidebar items to appear.
We check back in with our bankruptcy super hero in his battle to save a homeowner against the ominous and powerful Mortgantua. Things were looking grim, but perhaps there is hope. Click here for a refresher on ongoing the BAPCPA Man vs Mortgantua saga.
Apologies to everyone whose blog was previously included here. We're having some technical problems with a bunch of the rss feeds (tricky little things) and the feeds weren't working for a number of blogs. Hence the removal of them from the sidebar for the time being. We're working on getting them up and running again.
“[W]hether or not ‘bankruptcy’ derives from the Italian banca rotta or ‘broken [merchant's] table’… the clearest origins of United States bankruptcy law are to be found in England.” (The Law of Debtors and Creditors, p. 107, 5th Ed. 2006, by current chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel and two-time Daily Show guest Elizabeth Warren, and Jay Lawrence Westbrook.)
